Design and Simulation of an Inspection Robot for Realizing Its Digital Twin

Bomb disposal is one of the most dangerous tasks in the world, but detecting and removing unexploded ordnance is crucial to prevent harm to people. Every year, thousands of civilians, most of them children, lose their lives or limbs due to landmines or other explosive remnants of war. Current methods for landmine removal are often life-threatening, damage the soil, and are expensive. A vehicle for landmine clearance could save lives and reduce costs. The main idea of this work is to develop a remotely controlled mobile robot capable of detecting the presence of landmines underground using a metal detector or other sensors mounted on an end effector, which emits acoustic signals upon detection or detects the presence of the ordnance. Specifically, this work focuses on the robot’s actuation, sizing of the motors, and designing and realizing the motor control system and an interface that allows the robot to be controlled from a PC. In addition, suitable sensors such as LiDAR have been used and tested for further development towards automatic obstacle detection and autonomous navigation. The work represents the basis for developing a Digital Twin of the system for a LEAN automation.